PUBLISHED : 26 Oct 2024 at 08:30
Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai denounced a move by political activists to petition the Constitutional Court to revoke a 2001 memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Thailand and Cambodia, established during the administration of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Mr Phumtham, also a deputy prime minister, on Friday voiced his opposition to the bid to revoke the MoU, which critics claim could facilitate overlapping maritime interests that might disadvantage Thailand, particularly concerning Koh Kut in Trat province.
Mr Phumtham said the MoU, managed effectively by former foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai, has consistently recognised Koh Kut as Thai territory, with no contention from Cambodia.
“Every nation adheres to the principle that its territory is 200 nautical miles from the continental shelf; nevertheless, because the Gulf of Thailand is so small, there are overlapping territories on both sides,” he said.
“Many nations in this world, including Malaysia and Vietnam, use the method of talking to each other to agree on benefits, but it does not mean talking about territory. Regarding our territory, it has been clear since the French colonial map showed that Koh Kut belongs to Thailand.”
He said there is no need to worry about whether Thailand will lose Koh Kut to Cambodia, adding that the important thing is the possibility of oil.
“If nothing is done within 10 years, drilling oil from the overlapping area in the Gulf of Thailand will be meaningless since more people will switch from combustion engine cars to electric ones. This is a pity that the country will lose an opportunity to benefit from this resource,” he said.
Meanwhile, ML Kornkasiwat Kasemsri, an executive member of the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), urged the government to present the 2001 MoU to parliament for revocation, arguing that negotiating with Cambodia under this MoU framework would accept the overlapping territories, leading to the risk of losing Koh Kut.
A French-Siamese treaty signed during King Rama V’s reign stated that the French ceded the territories of Dan Sai and Trat to Siam, including all islands located south of Laem Ling (Laem Sing), including Koh Kut, he said.
However, he said that the 2001 MoU accepted Cambodia’s borderline, with no international law supporting it. The Thai government said they could jointly extract oil and gas to lower energy prices. However, this was untrue, as the Thai government had already given petroleum concessions to Western companies while Thailand would only receive royalties and taxes, which were considered small.